[Llaves]

I'm setting up a JCut 6090A with Mach3 USB controller board I just received. I've got everything working except for the spindle. I've verified all my settings and they match those provided by JCUT. The particularly odd thing is that when I issue a command to start the spindle (eg, S10000 M3), the inverter goes quiet and displays 0.0, and the run LED goes out. When I command the spindle to halt, the inverter starts humming, displays 8.0 and the run LED comes on. In neither state does the spindle turn. There's no shipping lock or similar on the spindle - I can turn it easily by hand.

The setup instructions call for a PWMBaseFreq of 4166, which is pretty contrary to the instructions in the Mach3 manual.

The setup instructions call for the spindle step pin to be motor output pin 14 on port 1. The output pins on the board are labeled 0-7, so this doesn't help. The xyz axis pins are motor outputs 2-4 for step, 6-8 for direction, but the board is labeled XS,XD, YS, YD, ZS, ZD, so there's no way to tell what pin 14 should be. That fact that the inverter changes behavior on M3/M5 suggests that something is really wired to whatever maps to port 14, but isn't interpreting it right.

This is the only thing stopping me from cutting chips, so help me out please.

[Llaves]

OK, here are results of some more experimentation:
The inverter (Sunfar E300) allows control from the front panel of the inverter itself. Using these controls I can get the spindle to spin and the speed responds to the control panel. This tells me that the inverter and the spindle are both functional, are wired correctly to power, and are wired correctly together. This is experiment was performed with the machine not attached to any computer.

After resetting the inverter to it's original state (external control), I plug the USB cable into a running computer BUT WITH MACH3 NOT RUNNING. The inverter remains in the off state (ie, Run light out, fan not running). The control board is receiving power from the USB port as the input LED lights up. When I launch Mach3 the inverter comes on, with the Run light turning on and the fan turning on. An M3 command causes the inverter to turn back off, M5 turns it back on. This is backwards, of course. I have checked the voltage to ground on the pin connected to the inverter FWD pin, which controls the spindle direction. In M5 state, the voltage is .5V. In M3 state, the voltage is 5.5V, which is what I'd expect, as this is the line to tell the inverter the spindle direction. I don't have an oscilloscope, so I can't tell what's coming out of the pin that is supposed to be providing the PWM control signal for spindle speed.

[Llaves]

Here's the solution. These instructions apply to a machine built with a Sunfar E300 inverter. Any other inverter and all bets are off.

Part of this came from JCUT when they sent revised setup information (only part of which was right). The main point is that on the Motor Control screen you have to set Direction Low active. On the outputs screen, Output#1 is pin 5 and set to Active Low. This will get the spindle to turn, but M3 and M4 will both turn clockwise.

To get CW and CCW, you will need to modify the parameters on the inverter. You have to set parameter F1.7 to 11. This caused inverter input X1 to behave as the REV (active low) signal. You now need to run a wire from output 4 on the controller board to the X1 pin. On the Spindle setup page, under relay control , set CCW to Output#2. On the Output Signals page, set output#2 to active low and enabled.

You should now have CW and CCW control in response to M3 and M4.